Iran: Halt execution of four Sunni men

Iranian authorities must immediately halt the execution scheduled for tomorrow of four Sunni death row prisoners who were convicted after grossly unfair trials, Amnesty International said.

The four men - Hamed Ahmadi, Jahangir Dehghani, Jamshid Dehghani and Kamal Molaee – are set to be executed on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) on 15 June.

“The execution of these men must be stopped immediately. The Iranian authorities are executing them over charges that appear to be fabricated and after grossly unfair trials where basic safeguards, such as rights of defense, were ignored,” said Hassiba Hadj Saharoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa

“This is just another example of the Iranian authorities using the death penalty to deal with minorities rather than guarantying the rights of all Iranians.”

The four men are accused of killing a senior Sunni cleric with links to the Iranian authorities in September 2009. But the men claim they were arrested months before the killing, and that they are targeted simply for practicing or promoting their faith.

Background

For more information about this case, see the Public Statement from today: “Four death row prisoners at imminent risk amid reports of secret executions”: